Pitch Correction Plug-In [Mac/PC]

Auto-Tune is synonymous with pitch correction and the name everyone knows. The shareware distribution of Auto-Tune Evo means that its out there – everywhere – and not always in the hands of the scrupulous. Low-grade hackers use the Auto-Tune name to draw in the unsuspecting who, instead of a plugin, end up with trojans, viruses and more. Harmony Engine EVO automatically creates up to 4 vocal harmonies from a single vocal take. Effortlessly create natural vocal harmonies or vocal sounds similar to vocoder effects. Full MIDI control gives vocal producers and sound engineers more creative options. A must-have plugin for.

• Signal Processors >Pitch-shifters

Auto-Tune has been the industry‑standard pitch‑correction tool ever since its 1997 release. Does the latest Evo version keep the competition at bay?

Graphical editing now includes note objects as well as curves, and object-specific settings for the Retune speed.

Love it or loathe it, pitch‑correction software is now a ubiquitous part of the modern computer‑based recording studio. Antares were pioneers of this technology and Auto‑Tune became a clear industry standard soon after its release in 1997. Of course, other companies were not going to let Antares have things all their own way, and alternatives from the likes of TC Electronic/TC Helicon and Celemony have certainly made their mark. SOS reviewed Auto‑Tune 5 in a head‑to‑head with Celemony's plug‑in version of Melodyne in the March 2007 issue (/sos/mar07/articles/at5vsmelodyne.htm), and Antares are now back with what is, in essence, Auto‑Tune 6. However, the new version is named Auto‑Tune Evo, and includes some significant new features.

All About Evo

Auto‑Tune Evo retains the basic dual‑mode operation of earlier releases. An 'auto' mode provides easy‑to‑use, real‑time correction options and, if the original performance is pretty good in the first place, can often do the job with the minimum of fuss. If the tuning problems are more significant, the 'graphical' mode provides tools for editing indvidual notes via curves and lines.

All these functions are retained in Evo, but they have been accompanied by some significant new features and a reorganisation of the user interface. The most obvious visual change has been the expansion of the common controls section along the top of the main window. This includes the return of the Tracking control: in Auto‑Tune 5 this had been relegated to the Options screen, a move which apparently proved unpopular with many users. In the native versions of the plug‑in, this common area now also includes formant and throat‑modelling technology derived from the Avox 2 plug‑in bundle (reviewed in the October 2008 issue). The controls are basic — in simple terms, allowing the user to adjust the resonant frequencies and throat length of the singer's body — but used sparingly, they can produce a subtle shift in the character of the voice.

Real‑time pitch‑shifting is also included within the common controls area and is available in all versions of Evo. In most other regards, the operation of auto mode remains as before, so existing Auto‑Tune users should find the transition a relatively painless one.

However, the changes are not merely cosmetic, and the underlying pitch correction engine has undergone a complete overhaul, to improve the end results and to take advantage of the increasingly powerful processing available in modern personal computers. The differences in the engine are significant enough that Auto‑Tune 5 and Auto‑Tune Evo are not interchangeable, so existing users will need to run Auto‑Tune 5 alongside Evo if revisiting older projects. Potential purchasers should also note that pricing of new and upgrade versions of Evo vary depending upon the format required.

Tuning & Retuning

The Option dialogue allows the size of the Evo window to be adjusted and keyboard controls set.

The most eye‑catching new features are within Evo's graphical mode, where two additions really stand out. First, as well as the existing curve and line editing functions, graphical mode now includes 'notes'. At first glance, one can't help but be reminded of the way Celemony's flagship product operates. However, while Evo's notes do share some of what Melodyne's 'blobs' offer, as outlined below, the detailed functionality is different.

The second key feature is the provision of object‑specific Retune speeds. This might not sound like such a big deal but, in terms of making the graphical mode easier to use, it is a significant change. The Retune setting controls how quickly pitch is pulled back into line with the target note. In previous versions, this was a global setting — easy to use, but not very accommodating when you had one phrase that required a fast Retune speed but another where a fast setting produced an unnatural correction. The Retune control could, of course, be automated in the host sequencer, but in Evo you can select sections of the performance (for example, a section that represents a single word or phrase) using the I‑beam tool and then apply a unique Retune speed to just that selection. This can almost be thought of as a halfway house between auto mode and the time‑consuming curve editing of graphical mode.

The 'note' objects now provide an additional option for graphical editing. Once the Track Pitch function has been used to capture the actual pitch of a performance (displayed as a red curve), clicking the Import Auto button will produce a green curve that shows how the pitch is being corrected by the settings from the auto mode window. However, if the Make Notes button is pressed, Evo generates note objects and a green curve that shows the pitch correction within notes and the links between them. Note generation can be done for a whole performance or just a selected time range, and the user can control how many notes are generated. If engaged, the Snap To Note button forces notes to centre their pitch on the nearest 'correct' note. The useful Show Lanes button can also toggle on and off a shaded lane display for each note (similar to that seen in most MIDI note editors) and this can make moving note objects to different pitches a little easier.

Once generated, notes can be adjusted in both length and pitch; as they are moved, the green pitch curve is also adjusted. This mode lacks the very detailed editing provided by manipulating the curves themselves or drawing your own pitch lines or curves, but in most cases it is a very much faster way of doing the bulk of the editing required. Incidentally, only one graphical editing mode is available at any one point along the timeline — curve, line or note — but they can be freely mixed and matched for different phrases within the performance. The new 'note' feature is a big plus in terms of ease of use and, while the options for manipulating pitch within and between notes are perhaps not as flexible as those found in Melodyne, it certainly takes a lot of the work out of graphical-mode editing.

We Are Evo

I tested the VST version of Auto‑Tune Evo with Cubase. It performed very well and certainly didn't seem noticeably more taxing on the host system than Auto‑Tune 5. The only technical issue I encountered was that some of the graphical-mode tools occasionally went AWOL, although this was simply resolved by engaging the 'Plug‑in Editors Always On Top' settings from within the Cubase Preferences / VST / Plug‑ins options.

Running Auto‑Tune 5 and Evo side by side suggested that any differences in the quality of the pitch correction are subtle when using auto mode, although Antares suggest that Evo's new engine does make a better job of poorer‑quality signals. For me, the real difference was in graphical mode, where the variable Retune speed and note editing made getting a natural result with more problematic material considerably faster.

For serious Auto‑Tune users (that is, those that regularly get beyond auto mode), I think the new graphical mode features will be very welcome, and make upgrading well worthwhile. In this regard, Evo is a significant step forward from Auto‑Tune 5 in terms of ease of use, regardless of any more subtle (to my ears at least) improvements in the quality of the pitch‑correction algorithm.

Good though Evo is, I suspect the advances will not be enough to persuade most existing Melodyne users to jump ship. However, for those looking to buy into the world of top‑of‑the‑range pitch correction for the first time, the choice between Evo and Melodyne is a difficult one unless you can spend some time with both products. Both are excellent and, for 90 percent of pitch‑correction tasks, I suspect either product will get the job done with a minimum of fuss. For my money, Melodyne still has a slight edge when it comes to more problematic pitch issues or creative re‑pitching of a melody line. However, with the new Evo note-editing mode, Antares have significantly closed the gap and, if your vocal is already decent, Evo's automatic mode remains the most straightforward means of tightening overall pitch.

Alternatives

The most obvious alternative to Auto-Tune Evo is Celemony's Melodyne, with the plug-in version now proving to be most popular. It lacks Evo's auto-mode ease of use, but its note-based graphical editing is both slick and very sophisticated. For Powercore users, the other obvious possibility is TC-Helicon's Intonator HS, which was reviewed back in the November 2004 issue, and the same company also have pitch correction built into a number of their hardware products.

Pros

• Graphical mode editing is much improved, with object-specific Retune speed settings and note objects.
• A range of welcome improvements have been made to the user interface.

Cons

• None, other than it still doesn't make my singing sound like Robert Plant.

Summary

Evo represents a very useful evolution of the Auto-Tune line, and is an obvious upgrade for existing power users.

information

Native version £299.99; TDM version £499.99. Prices include VAT.

Sonic8 +44 (0)8701 657456.

Native version $399; TDM version $649.

Antares +1 831 461 7800.

Test Spec

• Antares Auto-Tune Evo 6.0.7.
• Intel quad-core 3GHz Q9650 with 4GB RAM running Vista 32-bit, with TC Electronic Konnekt 24D interface.
• Tested with Steinberg Cubase 4.5.2.

Prior to the digital age, life in the studio was all about moderating the effects of human touch.

Compressors evened out the dynamics of the bass player while a side chain feed kept them matched with the drummer. The drummer had a metronome feed playing to maintain tempo.

Singers, well, you could keep their dynamics in control, but when they sang flat, about all you could do was tell them to smile as they sang and aim above the problem notes.

Smiling has the mysterious effect of raising singers' pitch. Aiming high is probably wishful thinking on everyone's part, but sometimes it works.

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The Advent of Auto-Tune

You wouldn't think earthquakes have a lot to do with singing in pitch and they don't, really.

However, it was seismi c research that provided the background for Dr. Andy Hildebrand, the creator of Auto-Tune and its parent company Antares.

He left that field and returned to his early love of music, bringing knowledge that created seismic interpretation workstations and applied it to issues arising in the early days of digital music.

Hildebrand's expertise with digital signal processing led to a series of audio plug-ins, including 1997's Auto-Tune, which could correct the pitch of a voice or any single-note instrument with surprisingly natural results.

Audio engineers now had a weapon against the occasional bum note. Rather than scrapping an entire take, Auto-Tune offered a repair tool that quickly caught on.

Auto-Tune as an Effect

It was only a year later in 1998 that use of Auto-Tune as an effect rather than repair tool happened.

Called the 'Cher Effect' after the singer's hit, 'Believe,' artificial and abrupt pitch changes came into vogue. Later, real-time pitch correction hardware brought both effects and repairs to the stage.

In the studio, Auto-Tune proved another weapon to 'fix it in the mix.'

Issues with Auto-Tune started soon after, with lines drawn between the purist and users camps. Many felt that using pitch correction was an artistic cheat, a way to bypass craft.

The arguments resemble the resistance synthesizers received in the 1970s and 80s that led Queen to note that none were used on their albums.

The other side of the argument pointed out that tools such as compressors and limiters and effects such as audio exciters had already been modifying the sound and behavior of voices throughout the history of recording. Though the anti-Auto-Tune camp seems vocal and large, rarely does a session go by without some use of pitch correction. It's nearly impossible to detect when used judiciously, nowhere near as obvious as when used for effect.

Auto-Tune is no longer the only player in the pitch correction game either. Celemony's Melodyne software substantially improves on Auto-Tune's interface and brought the full power of pitch correction to a plug-in ahead of the tool's originator, which still leads the pack when it comes to response and set-and-forget capability.

'Generic' Auto-Tune

The Antares version of the effect has achieved 'Kleenex' status. Its brand name is now synonymous with the generic effect it originated. It joins 'Pro Tools' from the audio world and 'Photoshop' from digital imaging in this manner.

Unlike some digital music signal processors, pitch correction hasn't generated a huge number of knock-offs. Melodyne is a serious contender, due to its far more intuitive interface. GSnap is an open source alternative that produces similar results. While iZotope's VocalSynth includes pitch correction features, it's more of a full vocal processor rather than a dedicated pitch correction app.

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The 4 Best Auto-Tune VST Plugins

Now, lets get into the top 4 autotune plugins​. Each one offers unique features and I assure you that one of these plugins have exactly what you are looking for

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The originator is now a full-featured and functional vocal processor that still masters the innovative pitch correction duties it brought to the market, but adds a wide range of additional features and effects to help nail down the perfect vocal take.

Auto-Tune 7 forms the core of the Vocal Studio package, still tackling the pitch and time correction duties it always has. Since its earliest days, automatic and graphical modes handle the various chores for the main Auto-Tune module.

While still presenting a learning curve for the new user, the Auto-Tune 7 interface remains familiar enough for experienced users. Since it's the best-selling pitch correction software going -- and by a huge margin -- there are a lot of existing Auto-Tune users. Even if you're new to the plug-in, chances are you know someone who's used it.

The rest of the Vocal Studio package focuses on vocal manipulations such as automatic doubling, harmony generation, tube amp warmth and vocal timbre adjustment. The range and nature of these adjustments takes vocal processing into some new territory.

The MUTATOR Voice Designer lets you manipulate voices from subtle to extreme, permitting organic or alien manipulations but with results that still sound like voices, though perhaps not of this world. The ARTICULATOR Talk Box produces effects such as the guitar talk box of Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh, but also Alan Parsons-ish vocoder sounds, combining the features of sung or spoken voice with an instrument's output.

While the Auto-Tune Vocal Studio remains pricey, it remains at the top of a niche market of audio processing.

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If Auto-Tune has a serious competitor in the pitch correction universe, it's Celemony's Melodyne. The interface, layout and operation of Melodyne is inherently more musical than the Antares take, so newcomers to pitch correction will likely find Melodyne easier to work with.

The Melodyne 'blob' is an easy to grasp analog of a sung note. It's far more intuitive than a waveform to understand. With the focus on graphical interface, Melodyne makes sense more quickly and easily than Auto-Tune. The latter's switching between automatic and graphical modes creates a comparative disconnect between functions.

Even long-time users of Auto-Tune will find moving to Melodyne natural, as there's enough in common that, once a user gets their bearings, familiar functions remain available.

Many Melodyne functions perform on polyphony too. Correcting a track with a multi-voice choir or chording instrument can work too. It's not a perfect function, but it's uncanny how often Melodyne senses chords clearly enough to allow changing of a single element.

What Melodyne doesn't do is the advanced vocal pyrotechnics offered by Auto-Tune. The Celemony product is all about pitch and time correction and it accomplished these with grace and ease.

Those looking for an affordable entry into digital pitch correction can turn to Melodyne 4 Essential. It's a plug-in that handles the pitch and time corrections of its big brother, but with fewer advanced features and without the full-featured price tag.

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Though pitch correction isn't the focus of this iZotope plug-in, it resembles the full Auto-Tune Studio package. At a fraction of the cost of the big boys in this class, VocalSynth doesn't offer the depth of control experienced with either Auto-Tune or Melodyne, yet it still manages to provide a reasonable job of pitch correction.

There's no graphical representation such as Melodyne's or Auto-Tune's graphical mode. That makes fine-tuning performances a little beyond the reach of VocalSynth, but for reasonable performances, it's not a major limitation. Think of the iZotope product as a first-aid kit rather than an emergency department.

The four voice synthesis modules are where the fun resides with VocalSynth. Talkbox, Compuvox, Polyvox and Vocoder modules emulate many of the vocal effects you've heard on hits from a wide range of artists. This is also just the most overt extra in the VocalSynth package.

A variety of additional modules let you tune up or tear up your vocal tracks. Add harmony, filter vocals, create radio and phone effects. These modules can either optimize your track or take it to new and exciting places.

VocalSynth may be the country cousin to the serious pitch manipulators, but it has capability with a high fun factor.

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Don't let the download page fool you, GSnap is a VST plug-in that works with any DAW platform that supports VST, not simply Windows-based DAWs. Both 32 and 64-bit support is included. Completely free, it does come with limits. While there is more graphic information than iZotope offers, it doesn't offer direct edits.

While not as flexible as pro pitch correction, it's a low-cost alternative for users who can't swing the big time prices. It's difficult to use GSnap subtly. That's not an issue for those seeking pitch correction effects, such as Cher or T-Pain. Backup vocals are also a good candidate.

This is the entry level of pitch correction, and because of that, it's included here. The effect is so ubiquitous that anyone working in the field needs to know how it works. GSnap represents the place to start.

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Wrapping It Up

Love it or hate it, pitch correction is here to stay, both as tool and effect. These four plug-ins aren't the only ones out there, but they represent the spectrum of pitch correction treatment. Auto-Tune is the originator. Melodyne is the refinement. It works just as well as the Antares product in nearly every way with an interface that easy to grasp.

iZotope VocalSynth represents the cream of the mid-priced plug-ins. It's capable and creative, even if it's not as flexible on pitch correction as the top-line apps. GSnap represents pitch correction for everyman. You can't knock the price of freeware.

The debate will likely rage over the ethics of pitch correction in popular music. While you wait for the dust to settle, give one of these packages a try.

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